PETALING JAYA: Throughout their three years of marriage, Nur Aina Hamdan, 27, found that her husband Adam (not his actual identify) has a robust inclination to hoard gadgets and refuses to them even when they’re not usable.
Nur Aina mentioned regardless of neatly storing them in containers, it grew to become overwhelming as every passing 12 months resulted in an more and more greater pile of “useless” gadgets which have stacked to the ceiling.
“One day, I came upon a fifth kind train e book and after I requested why he didn’t throw it away, he mentioned he felt hooked up to it. “He as soon as bought very upset after I discarded his damaged tennis racket.”
At first, Nur Aina believed her husband was only a collector, however she discovered it odd when he began hoarding damaged gadgets as nicely.
She determined to hunt skilled assist after studying articles about hoarding dysfunction.
“I persuaded my husband to seek the advice of with a psychological well being specialist. Accepting the truth was troublesome for him, however with persuasion and a few firmness, I satisfied him to get assist.”
University Putra Malaysia head of Psychiatry and Malaysian Educational and Psychological Well-being Society president Dr Chong Seng Choi mentioned from a medical perspective, hoarding is characterised by a persistent problem in letting go of possessions, no matter their worth.
Chong famous the hoarding dysfunction was initially listed as a subtype of obsessive compulsive dysfunction (OCD), however the fifth version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders now acknowledges it as a definite psychiatric situation.
Additionally, he mentioned hoarding seems to start early in life and spans into maturity.
“Symptoms of hoarding might first emerge between the ages of 15 and 19. It begins to disrupt the person’s day by day life by his mid-20s, and ends in clinically important impairment by his mid-30s.
“For many, hoarding turns into extra problematic as one will get older, and is thrice extra frequent in adults aged 55 to 94.”
Chong mentioned individuals who hoard gadgets typically don’t understand it’s a downside or perceive its affect on their lives and people round them.
“Hoarders typically have sturdy beliefs about buying and discarding issues. They assume, ‘I may have this sometime’ or ‘protecting it will make me joyful,‘” he mentioned.
Chong burdened hoarding dysfunction will be linked to different psychological well being points, reminiscent of anxiousness or OCD. Some 75% of hoarders additionally produce other temper or anxiousness problems, with despair being the commonest at 30-50%.
Meanwhile, Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp) director Ummi Kalthum Shuib mentioned hoarding practices are prevalent throughout the neighborhood.
“Since 2021, SWCorp has discovered about 12 premises in Kuala Lumpur that hoarded varied gadgets. Around 11 communities lodged complaints to us between 2021 and 2024. They concerned 15 hoarding circumstances, with 5 of them in Taman OUG.
“The Segambut neighborhood filed the primary grievance this 12 months concerning hoarding actions. Subsequently, I visited the placement and tried to contact the hoarder, however she was not current and we couldn’t entry the home.
“Surprisingly, by Jan 18, the household of the hoarder cleared the home, and I think this was a results of a viral video I posted,” she mentioned.
Ummi Kalthum mentioned SWCorp can act towards hoarders beneath Section 75 of the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Act 2007 for inflicting a nuisance, posing a risk to well being, or being offensive to the neighborhood.
Those discovered responsible will be fined between RM10,000 and RM100,000, or be imprisoned for a time period not exceeding six months, or each.
“I encourage everybody to be the eyes of the neighborhood to make sure cleanliness is everybody’s duty.
“Hoarding can encroach on the lives of others and endanger these residing near them,” she mentioned.
